Best of Show

Collaboration on a spec home in Spicewood begets a Hill Country beauty

When a group of talented design and build professionals are let loose to create a home without having to meet the demands of a particular client, amazing things can happen. Take, for instance, the Hill Country contemporary house that was a collaboration between award-winning interior designer Heather Blue Harkovich of Heather Scott Home & Design and noted builder Silverton Custom Homes.

In the Willie Nelson–owned Tierra Vista neighborhood of Spicewood, the house was built on spec (meaning without a buyer). So the only clients that Blue Harkovich and Silverton had to please were themselves. The result is a beautifully livable home with uncommon features that many people would never have considered, cool eco-friendly exterior details and a seamless decorative flow from indoors to outdoors.

The house, which is listed for $1.59 million, serves as a stunning example of thoughtful design and brilliant risk-taking that paid off. The 4,449-square-foot, five-bedroom, five-bathroom structure boasts enviable views of the Pedernales River, a consideration that was taken into account from the home’s inception. The house gives a nod to its traditional Hill Country surroundings while planting its feet firmly in the here-and-now. The exterior facade is a rustically elegant mix of limestone and burnished stucco, with the back of the house featuring a magnificent wall of glass, with windows and doors taking full advantage of the river view to the west.

Upon entering the house, a visitor first notices the house’s open concept, with soaring double-height ceilings and spaces flowing together. But, as you walk through the home, some surprising, almost hidden, details emerge. While all homes have a kitchen and many have butler’s pantries or bar areas, this house has two kitchens: a traditional kitchen and an entirely separate “prep” kitchen. The latter can be used for, among other things, preparing different meals or staging for a party or as a craft room or quiet cooking area. Though smaller than the main kitchen, the prep space is equally functional while maintaining a lower-key charm and homeyness.

On the second floor, where a guest might expect to come across a media room with a home theater, is an almost secret side room that many people would find to be a design challenge. But a particularly brilliant mind-meld between Silverton and Blue Harkovich, who chose luscious chocolate-mauve wall paint and contemporary silver wall sconces, has turned an easily forgotten corner into a sophisticated lounge area for more intimate conversations.

On the outside patio, a visitor will find a circular seating area around a fire pit, but it’s what’s overhead that is the star of the space. The area is covered by a solar-powered, remote-controlled awning that allows the eventual owners to create a custom environment depending upon the weather conditions or time of day. A rainwater collection system is also in place to harvest and hold the area’s occasional downpours, a feature that is increasingly in demand with an eco-conscious population.

With a house that is fairly substantial in size, has a number of unusual features and possesses an incredible view, decorating such a space might prove to be challenging. How does one bring in furnishings and accessories successfully, creating separate livable areas that flow and have cohesion?

“It can be a challenge when you’re dealing with wide-open floor plans,” Blue Harkovich says. “But it’s important to delineate the spaces so that each one has its own distinct purpose.”

Blue Harkovich knew exactly what to do. She chose soothing white walls, a departure from the Tuscan-like paint finishes that have been in demand for the last decade. She also kept the large pieces of furniture neutral and light, then brought in pops of color with varying shades of blue and orange.

Consistency and flow from one room to the next was key, but in order to avoid an overly harmonious decorative scheme that easily could have translated into boredom, she blended different wood tones and avoided buying all of her items from a single manufacturer.

And while most every room in the house adheres to this approach, a few rooms graciously depart from it, adding a pleasing element of the unexpected. An upstairs study space has darker indigo walls with guitars artfully displayed. And the prep kitchen’s cabinets are painted in a calming blue. “It’s a fine line,” Blue Harkovich says. “You don’t want everything to match, but it does need to flow.”

The collaboration between Blue Harkovich and Silverton has been well received. The house, which was featured in the spring’s Parade of Homes sponsored by the Home Builders Association of Greater Austin, earned both the Best of Show and the People’s Choice awards for the parade. It’s easy to see why.